Old Habits
by blue-glass-boat
Summary: Jace Herondale; enamoured. Clary Fray; engaged. And Sebastian Verlac; enraged. All hell breaks loose when Jace makes drunken confession that has been waiting to be spoken for years. (AU, AH, multi-chapter)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! The first day of holidays and I'm spending it writing and uploading a new fic. Such is the life of a dedicated fan.**

 **I'm trying something new with this All Human thing. I'm really excited to see where it goes. If you guys have any tips for writing AH, let me know- I'm always happy to hear from you.**

 **Hope you all enjoy the story. Let me know what you're thinking!**

The first time Jace Herondale's world turned upside down started completely ordinarily.

He threw his alarm clock against the wall. The bloody thing went off at five a.m. every morning and nothing he had done could change it. It had gone on for so long that he was an early riser now, occasionally waking a few minutes _before_ it started the torturous chorus.

Alec cursed both him and the alarm clock.

Jace, after a few minutes, heaved himself up, switched it off and flopped back into bed, only to find that sleep was long gone.

Groaning, he pulled on shirt and wandered out to the kitchen, where he put on a pot of coffee. Roused by the smell of caffeine, Alec usually joined him, the shared apartment coming alive as both its inhabitants started their daily grind.

But today, the norm was to be shattered. The little world Jace had built for himself was about to become unstuck, and all with a few words.

Clary burst in, hair a flaming path trailing behind her. Jace grinned, almost successfully ignoring the _ping_ that went through his chest every time he saw her. Over the years, he'd practiced and practiced until he was convinced that one day, seeing Clary would inspire the same feelings that Irma, the lunch lady, did.

"Jace," She called. "Guess who's getting married?"

His heart dropped. His grin froze, and he reached for the unfailing sarcastic humor that had seen him out of the few bad situations in his life. "How did you know that Alec had finally caved and asked me?" Alec shot him a look but didn't press the issue. He could see the pity in his brother's blue eyes and he hated it more than that asshole Sebastian Verlac.

Her laughter was infectious- it always had been- but Jace couldn't feel the slightest tickle in his stomach. She gave him a grin. "Congratulations. I wish you a long and happy life together."

Jace walked around the counter, unable to bear standing so close to her. "Thanks. I hope you'll be able to make the wedding; we're thinking winter. A winter wonderland. Aren't we, dear?" He looked at Alec.

The familiar eyes lifted heavenward. "Yes, darling, whatever you say."

Another spurt of laughter came from Clary's direction, and Jace couldn't stop himself from drinking in her happiness. After forcing himself to turn away, he grabbed some mugs from the cupboard in the counter. The green one the shade of her eyes stayed on the counter in front of him.

"Always so possessive of that cup." She said, rounding the corner to pick up the coffee pot. "Anyway," she said, the hissing hot liquid splashing haphazardly into the three mugs. "I was wondering if you would be best man."

Jace's eyes jerked up to hers. "What does _he_ think of this?" The slightest drop of venom snuck into his voice.

Clary shook her head resolutely. "Just say yes or no."

"Anything for you." His tone softened, almost imperceptibly and Alec shot him another look, but Jace only moved his shoulders in a slight shrug. That was a fairly normal thing for a best friend to say, wasn't it?

"Of course, that wasn't yes or no." Clary broke the tension in a singsong. "Leave it to you to do exactly the opposite of what I asked."

"That's me." Jace sighed and took a gulp of his burning coffee.

Alec raised his eyebrows and made a face. "I hate to be killjoy here, but isn't twenty-two a little young to be getting married?"

She made the same face back at him. "Like you and Magnus aren't as good as married already."

He coughed, pale cheeks flushing. After spluttering for a few seconds, he said, "That's beside the point."

Her triumphant expression made Jace snort. "Okay, you've got no ammunition against me. Isn't twenty-two a little young to be getting married?" He asked casually, as if the question wasn't dominating his thoughts.

"You're right, I don't have anything against you." She grumbled. "I knew we'd get all sorts of opposition but if you had something you knew was right, something _special_ that you might never see again, would you wait?"

Jace felt her words like a punch to the stomach. Sincerity emanated from her and he knew that he'd lost his chance. If he'd just admitted, somewhere along the way, that he was in love with her, maybe this wouldn't be happening right now. There was really no one else to blame but his cowardly self.

His father's mantra echoed in his head. _To love is to destroy, and to be loved is to be the one destroyed._ But the saying had dulled with time and distance, the man gone long enough that the thought of him only brought a mellow longing for his dad. The Lightwoods had provided a place to live at first, but quickly weaseled their way in until he was sure life without them wouldn't be the same.

The Lightwoods and Clary both.

The redhead in question snapped her fingers in front of his eyes and put on a formal voice. "Jace Herondale, are you attending?"

He smirked at her. "I am afraid to admit that I am not, madam. Please, feel free to get creative with my punishment."

"Jace!" She punched his arm.

"As entertaining as this is," Alec interrupted. "I believe you have classes to get ready for? Both of you?"

Clary pointed at Jace. "I was coming over to hurry him up, I swear."

"Swear all you like; your professor isn't going to happy if you disrupt his lecture when you're late."

Jace held up his hands. "All right, all right. I'm just brushing my teeth and we'll be out of your hair so you can invite Magnus over."

Alec flushed again, muttering under his breath. "Why can't you just live on campus like normal people?"

In the bathroom, Jace took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. "Two minutes," he muttered. "That's all you get."

His best friend was getting married to a jerk. In the beginning, Jace had tried to explain to Clary what he'd been like at school. Sebastian had used enough girls that he had something of a reputation, but he acted like a perfect gentleman to Clary, and she dismissed his concerns as nothing. After a while, he'd stopped trying. He figured that they'd break up sooner or later and then he'd confess. Confess to the feelings he'd been harboring since the day they met in middle school.

The teacher had been quoting Blake. Quoting him incorrectly, that was. Clary stuck up her hand and told him so. "You've got it wrong," she said, ignoring the frosty look the teacher was throwing her. "The quote is, 'Then you'll see the world as it is- infinite'." She said, her voice clear. Jace, who hadn't been paying all that much attention, watched her for that brief moment and couldn't stop his eyes returning to her for the rest of the lesson. Afterwards, she'd marched up to him, hair constrained in two matching braids. "Why were you staring at me?" She asked him, a strange lack of nervousness in her words.

"Who says I was staring at you?" Jace questioned acerbically. "What if I was staring at her?" He pointed towards another girl, this one in rainbow coloured leggings.

Clary crossed her arms. "You were staring at me."

"Someone's got a big ego, don't they?" He threw out, wanting to see how she'd react.

"Oh, Jace, you've finally realized it. I'm so glad we didn't have to get you professional help." Her tone was thick with sarcasm.

He blinked once. "I didn't think you knew my name." He said, taken off guard for the first time in a while.

She rolled her eyes. "The teachers call on you often enough. They seem to think you're smarter than you appear to be."

"And do you agree?" He asked curiously, no underlying mockery.

She turned away, the discussion seemingly boring her. "I think they could be right."

Without saying anything, they became friends. Over the years, they grew closer and closer until Jace was sure he loved her.

He thought about telling her all the time. The words forever rested on the tip of his tongue until he was sick of the taste of them. _Clary, I've been meaning to tell you something… Clary, I'm in love you… Clary-_

But old habits die hard, and eventually it was easier to hold his tongue than say anything.

The middle of junior year, he had to swallow the words because Sebastian had asked her on a date, and then another. Then a few more, and so it continued.

The funny thing was, Jace knew Verlac was going to do it. He should have stopped it, but he never dreamed that Clary would say yes, or that she would like the guy quite so much.

And so he waited. For them to break up, for someone else to come along and take his mind off Clary. But neither happened, and now he was here, years later, about to watch her marry someone else.

 **Look out for the next chapter in about a week! You won't be bored.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and favourites! Every single one encourages me to get to writing. You guys are awesome.**

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 _Six Months Later_

Jace sipped steaming tea from the mug the same shade of Clary's eyes and idly watched the light change from almost black to a light, clear blue. Alec wasn't even up yet, but he felt too tense to do anything but watch the day he had been dreading approach inevitably. A pen found its way to his hand and he began tracing restless patterns over the countertop. His fingers itched for the distraction of piano keys slipping beneath his hands but he couldn't even afford a crappy electronic keyboard with the all his money going towards his half of the rent.

Putting the pen to use, he scrawled the things he needed to get done before going to see Clary. Pick up his shirt from the laundry, go grocery shopping… he sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

It had shifted from pleasantly warm to muggy by the time he turned up at Clary's mother's house to 'help' the afternoon of the rehearsal dinner. Jocelyn had lived in Connecticut for years, so it was the obvious choice for Clary to attend college nearby, the overprotective mother never wanting her daughter too far from her. Naturally Jace had followed, but unfortunately, so had Sebastian.

Jace watched in mild amusement as she sat impatiently getting her hair done. White flowers were scattered throughout the fiery red, making both colours appear even brighter.

His breath stuttered as he caught sight of her golden dress that brushed the floor and left her arms bare. Her hair fell down her back and framed her face, and her lips were painted to match it. The colours should have jarred, fighting for attention, he thought. All gold, red and green, but they only served to make her brighter.

Jocelyn pushed the last pins into place and let Clary up with a sigh, shooing away her apologies. "Go! Finish getting ready or I'll call Sebastian to help."

Jace felt a tiny stab of hurt, the latest of hundreds over the past few months. "That's a terrible threat, Mrs. Fray. I'm sure she'd love that."

The girl in question laughed and dug an elbow into his ribs. "Come on, I'll show you the venue and run you through the evening. That way you'll be all ready to give your toast."

Clary insisted he give a speech, and grudgingly, he acquiesced. It sat heavily in his pocket, waiting to be read with a smile pasted uncomfortably to his face. He was fairly good at his face without emotion, but everyone would expect animation. Happiness.

That was an emotion he would not be able to summon without the numerous alcoholic beverages helping him out.

He tuned out the rest of her chatter and watched her as she gestured animatedly. The dress flowed and slipped around her curves, making his mouth dry. He murmured responses at appropriate points, never expected to give more than a simple answer. Finally, she slipped away with the promise of catching up with him later.

It was a nice place really; a garden with tables set up for the guests to have dinner and watch the stars come out. Fires in little pots were started around the place and emanated pulsing heat. He felt frozen with unreasonable hurt, the blood in his veins turned to ice. Drink after drink was poured down his throat until he could feel the muddling of thoughts. The ice thawed a little, and then completely as he caught sight Clary's luminous face, lit with the cheery glow of the fire and happiness, Jace thought, as she laughed. Brief greetings were exchanged with old school friends and Clary's family, but no one tried for further conversation, a small mercy.

Bleary and a little unsteady, Jace stood at Clary's smile. He looked out across the snowy, circular tables and the arrangements of flowers and the stars above them that spun a little and exhaled slowly. As soon as he opened his mouth, he caught sight of Alec's worried gaze. He'd felt it all night, wondering when his brother would stop being such a worrywart.

Pulling the sheets of paper out of his pocket, he unfolded them.

 _-pick up shirt_

 _-eggs_

It was the hastily scribbled note to himself.

The speech was still sitting at home on the counter evidently, and now he had nothing but the to-do list in his hand with over a hundred people staring at him expectantly.

"I would like to say-" He started. "I would like to say that-" He tried again.

Words were not his friends.

Everything he was planning on saying was swimming around in his head, not staying still long enough for him to grasp. He feebly attempted to catch at the words. A moment or two later, he gave up. "I'll tell you what I'd _really_ like to say, since I can't quite remember my speech."

Distantly he noticed Alec stood up and starting making his way discreetly around the tables towards Jace. "The thing is," he said, ignoring his brother. "I've been dreading this day for months. In fact, ever since Clary told me she was getting married, I was thinking of ways I could get out of being in this position."

Nervous laughter sounded from the guests.

"Really," he insisted. "I even thought about telling the truth. The truth that I haven't told for what- six years? But then- then I realized I couldn't do that to my best friend."

He looked around once more and no faces were could compete with Clary's. It was inscrutable, but her fingers were white around her knife and fork.

"And I suppose you all know this, but she's more than a best friend. She is an unattainable picture of the girl I have always wanted but could never have. She's funny, and down-to-earth, and I wouldn't be able to live without her. Clary, I thought that I couldn't love you any more than I did the first day I saw you. But I was wrong. I was _wrong_." Jace was only slightly aware that he was slurring some of his words. He wondered briefly why Alec was taking so long to stop him.

"I love you without measure. I wish they could bottle all of it and put it towards something useful, because the amount I have loved you over the years would make a hell of a lot of electricity." Realizing too late how stupid that sounded, he ploughed onwards determinedly. "And you." He said, pointing at Sebastian. "You don't love her enough to make a light bulb flicker. You couldn't. I've seen the way you look at her."

Sebastian went to his feet as Alec snuck up behind Jace and put a firm hand upon his shoulder.

"You need to leave." Sebastian commanded, dark eyes bottomless in the shadowy light of the fires.

"Shouldn't Clary decide who stays or goes? It's not just your wedding we're rehearsing for." Jace challenged.

Alec pulled his arm harshly. "We're leaving."

He stumbled, hurt and tired. The last thing he saw as his brother led him away was Clary's pale face, floating in the darkness.

 **Let me know what you thought and stick around for the next chapter soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting! You are all amazing people. Just so you know, I'm trying to keep to a regular updating schedule (every Wednesday afternoon or occasionally morning Aussie time) but sometimes I can't make it. You have my word I'll try my very hardest though.**

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 **Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Let me know what you think.**

Jace groaned and flung out a hand, searching for his alarm clock. The wailing cut off abruptly as someone unplugged it from he wall. "Thank you." He murmured, rolling over to go back to sleep. His head was pounding and he'd just had the most horrible dream.

"Get up, Jace. I want to talk to you."

Jace cracked open an eye and winced. "I just had a terrible nightmare. Cut me some slack."

Clary's face was unforgiving. "Oh yeah? What was it?"

He rubbed a hand over his face. "I was giving this speech at your rehearsal dinner and-" He cut himself off. He couldn't tell Clary the rest without giving away that he was in love with her.

"Get up _now,_ Jace, or I'm coming back with a water gun."

He mumbled. "Okay, okay. I've just got to change first, but you can stay here for that if you really want to."

She stalked out of the room, not quite slamming the door but shutting it loud enough that his sore head throbbed that little bit more.

Jace thought idly about his dream as he pulled shirt on. The look on Sebastian's face had been murderous. He snorted softly, wishing dream-cameras had been invented.

He winced. If he were really going to confess his love to Clary, it would not be using electricity as proof of his feeling. He'd like to think he was a _little_ more eloquent than that.

Out in the kitchen, Clary was filling up his mug. Extra-strong coffee, from the smell of it. She slid it over the bench to him along with a glass of water; the only sound in the kitchen the scrape of ceramic on stone.

"Hangover cure coming up." She said, gesturing to the saucepan on the stove. "Fried eggs and bacon. I also put some toast on, but I'll have it if you don't want it."

"Clary," he said, slightly bewildered, "what are you doing?"

"Why did you never tell me?" She near-whispered, finally looking at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, disconcerted.

Her tone hardened. "I _mean_ the fact that you've been in love with me all these years and never breathed a word about it!"

Air was no longer flowing into his lungs and his head felt light. "How-"

"You only told everyone at the dinner last night!"

He dropped his face into his hands.

The hangover. The silence. Alec's conspicuous absence from the kitchen.

"Oh, God." Jace mumbled. "It wasn't a dream."

Clary's hesitant hand was laid on his shoulder. "Why didn't you say something?"

A rough laugh tumbled out of his throat. "I've been asking myself that question for years."

They sat in silence for long minutes, Jace's head in his hands and Clary's small fingers resting against his shoulder, a solitary source of comfort.

"What did Sebastian say about all this?"

She hesitated. He shook his head, full of self-loathing. "Don't try to protect me from whatever it is happened. I already think it's my fault."

Sinking her teeth into her lower lip and unaware of how dry Jace's mouth suddenly was, she told him the events of the night before. "After you left, Sebastian stormed out. I went after him and he said the only way he would marrying me was if I would agree to never see you again."

Jace drew in a sharp breath. He knew Sebastian would be furious, but surely this was excessive. After all, it wasn't Clary who had declared her love for him in front of all her friends and family.

"I argued with him for a while but I-" she paused, letting her hang in front of her face. "…somehow I don't think we're going to be married."

Jace pulled away from her grasp. "Yes, you are." He said fiercely.

Her eyes blazed. "I'm not agreeing to never see you again! He's crazy to even ask that, and to ask me to choose between the two of you… he can't truly love me."

"You're going to marry him, Clary. You don't have to agree never to see me again."

"He won't marry me without it." She wilted. "I don't even want to if he makes these unreasonable demands."

"You still love him, don't you?" His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears.

She stared at him silently, refusing to answer. Jace growled. " _You_ don't have to agree to anything. I am." He raked a hand through his hair. "I'm agreeing not to see you anymore."

Clary shot up straight, indignation written all over her face. "You can't just _decide_ that!"

"Watch me."

"Jace, this is stupid. Stop it." She slapped a hand down on the bench. "You can't just tell me what to do."

"You can't do this; you can't do that." He mimicked, hating himself more and more with every word that came out of his mouth. "You should be a cop."

"Jace!" She practically yelled.

Alec appeared beside her, holding her backpack. "Cool down." He advised her, voice wary. "Come back later."

Fury clear on her face, she snatched it from his hands and slammed the door on the way out.

Jace sank down on one of the stools at the counter, listening to the thunderous bang of the front door. Alec whistled under his breath. "What did she say?" He asked softly.

The pounding in Jace's head was back, stronger than ever. He didn't say anything, just slouched on the stool.

He almost couldn't believe it. The thought of never being able to see Clary again after so many years of pining was unwelcome and alien.

Maybe he would finally get over her.

 **Yikes. What do you think?**


	4. Chapter 4

**This weather is not making me feel very inspired, but I sat down and tried my best to write a chapter anyway- just for you guys. It's on the short side and a bit of a filler, but I promise the next chapter will be much more interesting!**

 **ThatBlondeALB: Thank you! I'm glad you found this story too!**

 **PurpleAi: That would be the ideal situation, but like you said, Jace and Clary are both so stubborn...**

 **Zoe0405: Here's the update and I think we all want to give Jace a hug from time to time!**

 **Bubblegum234: You win the funniest review award for the chapter; and don't worry, Clace will win eventually. That's a guarantee.**

 **Sabeling: Thank you so much! Your reaction to the chapter was one of the best compliments I've ever received and the comments about my writing were even better! Hope you enjoy this one :)**

 **Page1of365: Thanks!**

 **raka.b13: Thank you! I hope you haven't died of anticipation before getting to read this!**

 **camimardock: I think the title of the story explains why he acted the way he did; Old Habits. The full saying is 'old habits die hard', and he was proving this to be true by doing exactly what he had been for the past years, which was not revealing to Clary how he really felt. It is a bit ridiculous, but most of us have been in a situation at some point when something inside of us prevents us from telling someone what we really feel. It's hard to make yourself so vulnerable, especially, in Jace's case, when you've been doing protecting yourself for a long period of time. Then there's also the fact that he doesn't truly believe Clary would pick him over Sebastian (even though he's an idiot for thinking that) because he'd tried to warn her off Sebastian in the past and she hadn't listened, at least in Jace's eyes. So I hope that's a good explanation for why I chose to have Jace act the way he did! I'm always happy to listen to someone else's opinion because I think it makes me a better writer to consider a bunch of different viewpoints, so let me know what you think of all of this :) (Sorry for the extreme length of this.)**

 **newt-scamanderp: Thanks! Sorry about the chapter length! I am working hard to make my chapters long, but sometimes it's all I have time to write and I'd rather give you guys a short chapter on time than a longer chapter late.**

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 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Three Years Later**_

The streets of New York were filled with honking, fumes, and voices of people rushing home after work. It was Friday night, after all, and the clubs would be blaring all night.

Jace hadn't thought it possible to feel lonely in a city so full of people and life, which was part of the reason he'd accepted the job offer as assistant director at Maryse Lightwood's company, the Institute. Tasked with 'bringing a fresh perspective to the workplace', he felt entirely dissatisfied with his current situation.

He wasn't made for a desk job. Every day, he sat, brimming with restless energy until Maryse got sick of him and made him go for a run. It was lucky he was family; otherwise he would have been fired by now. He pushed himself as fast and hard as he could until it was physically impossible to go anymore.

And the other reason for his unsettled mind-

Jace firmly shut the thought down before it could grow.

There had been girls, over the years, but none shone as brightly as _she_ used to. None could take up the same space in his head, although most of them were taller than her.

Not that _that_ would be hard to achieve.

In fact, he had gravitated towards her polar opposites; leggy blondes who had probably never picked up a paintbrush in their life and wouldn't know a Monet if it hit them in the face.

He tugged at his tie irritably, cursing the suit he had to wear to work each day. The air was balmy after a long summer's day, and the sinking sun was drawing away the last spots of intense heat and hints of daytime, leaving Jace with a flood of relief. Another day over and done with.

Maybe Isabelle would come over try and get him to come clubbing with her again. He feigned distaste, but he liked the time with Isabelle and and a break from the discarded feeling that heavily in his stomach every time the redhead crossed his mind for even a second.

It was all ridiculous. He was the one who chose to leave her, and he was the one who enforced the distance. Looking for new jobs out of state, he mentioned the search to Maryse, who immediately offered him the position she'd been looking to fill for a while. The pay was good enough that he could rent a decent apartment in Manhattan; it just so happened to be the same building as Izzy.

Clary had never called. He assumed she was so angry about his sacrifice that she wouldn't try and reach out to him again, which was the way he intended it to go. Her pride was the barrier that formed the unbreakable wall between, only solidifying as time went on- well, her pride and Sebastian.

Cool air wrapped in him grateful reprieve as he entered his apartment building. As he called the elevator and tapped his feet, he shot a smirk to the girl entering the building behind him. Dressed for work in a black skirt and blouse, she was striking, with a tilt to her dark eyes and pin straight, choppy hair. Colour rose slightly on her face and her bright red lips curved into a smile. "Keep dreaming, Blondie."

Jace was almost stunned. Not missing a beat, he replied. "Oh, I will." His voice dripped with insinuation.

The lobby was silent as they both watched the electronic numbers on the panel slip downwards with the elevator.

"So, do you live here?" Her tone was slightly pitying.

Jace bristled but slipped a cool grin onto his face. "Thirtieth floor. Feel free to pay a visit whenever you like."

She laughed again. "I don't think that'll be happening. And so you don't have to ask, I'm just visiting."

He wasn't going to ask.

He had no idea why this girl kept rejecting him. Had someone finally twigged that he would never be able to be serious about them?

The elevator dinged and he stepped back. "I think I'll wait for the next one."

"Don't be so disheartened that I won't go for you." The girl turned, her movement fluid and steady even in high heels.

"You're right, I'm heartbroken. If you could just leave me to deal with it in peace, that would be great."

Her face darkened. "Get on the elevator; this is ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is that you're trying so hard to get me onto that elevator." He refused to budge. "We don't even know each other's names."

"Who says I don't know your name, Jace Herondale?"

He froze. "How-"

"I'm Aline Penhallow. Remember now?"

Jace almost laughed. "Aline?"

Now that she'd told him her name, he could quite clearly see the lines of the old Aline beneath her sharp, inquisitive face. Their fling hadn't lasted more than ten minutes because Isabelle walked in, demanding to know where Alec was.

"And the friend I'm visiting is your sister. Feel comfortable enough to get in the elevator with me now?" She moved her hand away from the gates.

Jace stepped on, slipping sideways to avoid the doors as they slid closed. He cleared his throat. "How come so many people from school have moved to New York?"

She considered his question. "I think you, Izzy and I might be the only ones living in Manhattan." Her voice was layered with deliberate caution, as if she was trying hard not to reveal something. Jace furrowed his brow. "Most of the people I know from school have gone back to Connecticut after college. Actually," clearly trying to change the topic, false excitement brought a synthetic glow to her face, "Kaelie Whitewillow moved to London."

"Great." Jace said, his voice drenched in acerbity. An awkward silence fell between them, but Jace didn't particularly care. He was stuck on the careful way she stepped around the question of New York, only mentioning Manhattan. Obviously, someone he didn't like or didn't want to see had also come here, and Izzy had probably warned Aline not to tell him.

A soft _ding_ signaled Aline's departure, and she gave him a soft smile. "See you around, Jace."

 **When people make Aline a really bitchy character, I just want to go and hug her. I know there are limited options for those sorts of characters that are girls in lots of these AH fics, but even Clary says at the end of CoG that Aline is someone who says whatever she's thinking, when she thinks it. (And Clary walked in on Aline and Jace making out! Talk about being magnanimous.)**

 **Anyway.**

 **Where do you guys see this story going? I would really like to know what you think (and if anyone guesses correctly, I might do something special for them... such as a chapter in Clary's POV of their choice... or maybe a chapter from a POV they choose... really, who knows what could happen?)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited. You are all beautiful people.**

 **I'm going to mention the people who got at least one thing right about where the story is headed. Go check them out if they have an account because they are obviously smart!**

 **Guests who guessed something correctly:**

 **Clace shipper**

 **Logged in people who guessed something correctly (CHECK THEM OUT! Even if they haven't written stories, they've probably followed some awesome ones):  
**

 _ **Bubblegum234**_

 _ **oesteffel**_

 _ **Ella Blackrose**_

 _ **Oregongirl1992**_

 **raka.b13: Thank you!**

 **AJ (Guest): The waffle was very much appreciated**

 **PurpleAi: I don't want to spoil anything but they do have a run-in very soon... as in, this chapter. I'm glad you appreciated the non-bitchy Aline!**

 **Page1of365: Thank you! Jace is a bit sad at the moment but he may cheer up soon. On the other hand, it's Jace. He may not.**

 **ThatBlondeALB: There's not a huge story with Kaelie but Aline will be reappearing soon!**

 **Bubblegum234: You're partly right, but you'll have to wait and see! I promise Clace will be soon though**

 **oesteffel: You've got a really good theory! You'll have to wait and see, but you'll see I did mention you in the list above!**

 **Guest: Thanks!**

 **Ella Blackrose: I think it's safe to say that your theory was very, very sound.**

 **Oregongirl1992: It would be a very Clary-like thing to do, having an art studio and living in Brooklyn**

 **Guest: This is 100% a Clace story**

 **Catielynn09: Glad you're interested**

 **Clace shipper (Guest): Good job! I won't tell you which part of your prediction was correct, but you'll see very soon!**

* * *

Something collided with him, leaving him off balance for a moment. As he stumbled, mid-morning sun dazzled his eyes. The noise of thousands of mellow voices enjoying the weather and their weekend coffees faded into the background as the splattering of something hitting the pavement and a curse in a familiar voice followed a sharp ripping sound.

"Watch your language, Clarissa." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could swallow them.

The face he never thought he'd see again gaped up at him. Her hair had gotten longer, he saw, and he drank in the sight of her. Her face had matured slightly, stealing the last traces of childhood roundness. His eyes lingered on every difference. Even the red of her lips seemed brighter. The only thing that was entirely familiar was her eyes. The same startling green peered up at him.

"What are you doing here?" She looked surprised.

Jace ignored the tumultuous waves of his stomach. "I live here." He tried to sound as bored as he could.

He tried to sound like he was over her.

But of course he wasn't. He hadn't even tried to pretend to himself; denial was useless. Alec and Isabelle, they wanted the best for him and meant to help by setting him up on blind dates and the like, but they could never fully grasp what Clary meant to him.

She didn't say anything else, just stood there, staring. A smear of lavender paint stained her cheek, and he almost smiled. Still the same Clary.

Suddenly, anger flew across her features. "What happened to not seeing me ever again? Not speaking to me?"

An painful ache spread throughout him and he struggled to keep his expression unreadable. Of course, the same Clary was still furious at him. "This may be news to you, but I'm not so desperate to see you that I would orchestrate a whole encounter just to bump into you." He let his voice sharpen, let the anxiety and shock of seeing her feed his acidity.

"So out of all the people in Manhattan, I just _happen_ to run into you."

"Oh my, you're right. I just forgot the months of planning that I needed to see you for a whole ten seconds. These things do tend to slip away."

Jace paused. Her whole tiny body was practically vibrating with anger and her eyes were trained, intent and blazing, on his face. Her lips were slightly parted and her cheeks flushed with fury. He wondered if he would ever see her smile again; if this was any indication, any encounter they had would be filled with harsh words and irritation. The thought sent a painful ping through his body.

Then he noticed what had split open on the floor between them.

"As captivating as I am, I think we should pick up the paints that just exploded all over you. Or at least what's left of them." _Not_ _we_ , Jace cursed himself. _You. Nothing is_ we _anymore._

She glanced down and let out a horrified little shriek. Dashed over her jeans like a Pollock painting, the colours looked as though they were slowly soaking through the denim. Cool red over burnt orange, splashes of sky blue at the very bottom. It looked almost like an abstract sunset, the beautiful colours incongruous with the whirlwind of emotion swirling within.

"Oh my god, I've got a forty-minute subway ride home." She groaned, her voice still holding traces of anger.

His heart thumped. "My apartment is a five-minute walk from here. You could- you could come and clean up, if you wanted." He tried to look disdainful. "The paint smells worse than Isabelle's cooking, and I'm thinking of the poor people on the subway. They'll have to deal with the smell all the way to…" He trailed off, not knowing where she lived.

A fact he thought he'd come to peace with.

"Brooklyn." She said. "I live in Brooklyn now."

He pulled a face. "Brooklyn." Painful imaginings cropped up; a small terrace house with Clary's art on the walls and Sebastian's stupid sports coat hanging over a chair. One level of an apartment building, messy because Clary hated cleaning. The smell of fresh paint and coffee grounds, mixed with no doubt disgusting cologne. That idiot probably didn't appreciate how lucky he was.

"And it's fine, I'm used to having paint all over me." She was holding herself carefully, trying not to touch her paint-soaked jeans.

Jace raised a single eyebrow, knowing how much it annoyed her. "Not that much paint."

"Jace, it's fine."

"Clary, it's not fine."

"I have to get home. I would say it was nice seeing you again, but quite honestly, it wasn't." Defeat and betrayal hung in the air, as noxious as the fumes from the traffic.

"Say hello to Sebastian for me. Oh, wait, that's right." He smirked. "He won't know about this little encounter, will he?"

Clary shook her head. "Not because of any decision I made; that choice was all yours, Jace. So _don't_ try to put it on me."

* * *

 **Sorry for all the bitterness... but I'd be pretty bitter if my best friend decided what was best for me too.**

 **Let me know what you thought!**


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